About us

Please see information on the right and below showing club meetings.

Scroll down for the latest monthly update 'Views from the Beacon'

There is also information on our Facebook page: Facebook

You can contact the club via email at: Contact@BeaconRotary.org

The Loughborough Beacon Annual Plant Sale is BACK for 2026!
Supporting local charities & brightening gardens across our community

Last year you helped raise over £2,500 for great causes — let’s grow that even more this year!

What’s blooming in 2026?
High‑quality, great‑value summer plants
FREE delivery to your door — no matter the size of your order!
A huge range of colourful plants to choose from
NEW: Two gorgeous pre‑planted selections complete with compost & fertiliser
Tomatoes, chillies & more delicious growers!

Order deadline: 6th May
Delivery: 14th–15th May (right after the frost danger passes )

Order online today:
www.beaconrotary.org
Pay by BACS, Bank Card or PayPal

Previous customers — watch for your order forms coming through soon!

Let’s make our gardens — and our community — bloom brighter than ever in 2026
Every plant purchased supports local charities!

OUR COMBINED PROGRAMME - and other important dates - FOR April 2026 —and beyond:

(NB: some of the later dates are provisional or details may change – do check the Wiki for up-to-date information)

7^th Apr	12 for 12.30pm	LIG lunchtime meeting No evening meeting	LIG	Longcliffe Golf Club
8^th Apr (Wed)	2pm	Charnwood Talking News	RCLB	Sue Easton’s house, Wymeswold.
14^th Apr	7 for 7.30pm	Francesca Smith – will talk on the work of Rotary in Costa Rica	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
21^st Apr	12 for 12.30pm 7 for 7.30pm	LIG lunchtime meeting Carl Hughes Driver Training	LIG RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club Longcliffe Golf Club
28^th Apr	7 for 7.30pm	Plant Sale Organisation – led by Andy Perkins	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
29^th Apr (Wed)	2pm	Charnwood Talking News	RCLB	Sue Easton’s house, Wymeswold.

Still to come before the end of the Rotary year ...
5^th May	No meeting
11^th – 15^th May	2026 PLANT SALE WEEK – this year based at Ridgewold Farm, Wymeswold
12^th May	7 for 7.30pm	AGM& Planning meeting	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
16^th May (Sat)	am	District Assembly		Loughborough University
19^th May	6pm walk 7.30pm dinner	University Sculpture Walk – led by Neil Rowbotham	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
23^rd May (Sat)	7pm	C4K Fundraiser, “Me & My Shadow”		NSC Arena, Belton Rd West Extension, Loughborough, LE11 5XH
26^th May		No meeting
2^nd June	7 for 7.30pm	2025/26 Charter Evening hosted by Roger Williams	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
9^th June	7 for 7.30pm	Club Assembly for 2026/27	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
15^th June (Mon)		Golf Day organised by Garner Roberts	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
23^rd June	4 for 4.30pm	Canal Boat Cruise (TBC) organised by Neil Rowbotham	RCLB	A return cruise to the Plough Inn at Normanton for dinner
30^th June	7 for 7.30pm	Handover	RCLB	Longcliffe Golf Club
1^st July (Wed)		“Lifting the Lid” Concert

We aim to produce the newsletter in the last week of the month; please forward news, information and photos to me by the third week of the month:j66edwards@gmail.com

President Martin’s Comments: (format below is not as desired - see What we do - Our Activities for a more readable version)

It is with deep regret that I need to inform the Club and Friends of Rotary of the passing of Rtn John Boyes. John passed away on Wednesday evening 25^th March in Derby Royal Infirmary.

The following is an extract from "Guidance for New Members" and was probably John’s own words:

“He was born in 1945 in Cheshire and was married to Eileen for fifty years. Educated at Kings and Imperial Colleges London, he specialised in Mechanical Engineering and Management Science. Over a period of some forty years, he was initially involved in manufacturing management with Rolls-Royce (Aero). He was the regional manager (East Midlands) for PA Consulting Group. After that, he went on to develop his own consultancy business majoring in Quality, Procurement and Business Excellence. John’s interests included music, opera, reading, travel, DIY, Business and supporting the National Trust.” John lived in Hathern for many years and was active within the parish council. He used one of his outbuildings in Tanners Lane to help store the tables that we used for many plant sales. In recent years, John moved across the border into Aston-on-Trent Derbyshire. Nevertheless, John continued to attend club meetings and last year helped deliver plants to his old stomping ground of Hathern. John could always be counted to ask the question that no one else had thought of whenever we had guest speakers. John was a Rotarian since 2001, with 24 years and 8 months of service. He was also a past president 2007-2008. RIP John Boyes: he will be missed but not forgotten.	John, pictured in 2008, during his Presidency

A recap on March’s programme: It is heartening that throughout the month of March we have welcomed partners of Rotarians who have moved onto higher service and going forward, we will always be pleased to do so; also, partners representing Rotarians who are not well enough to attend. It’s a reminder that Rotary is about many things, but fellowship is a key aspect for the club. 3^rd Mar saw us having a General Chat and updates on various club activities. It was also the first time that we got to meet Costa Rica Rtn Francesca Smith (who will give a presentation about Costa Rica next month). Club Secretary Graham Martin exchanges flags with Francesca Smith

On 10^th Mar we had a talk from Tom Adams (Son of our almoner, Rosemary) about the Foreign Office in Mali. It was a remarkably interesting talk, ranging through many aspects of Malian life as well as on Tom’s diplomatic role. I was surprised at the knowledge that some Rotarians had about the Mali Music scene, so much so that the talk went in a direction I was not expecting. Some of the audience provided a deep insight into this genre of music.

Tom and Bruce share a passion for the music of Mali

17^th Mar we had a talk on War Graves from Ivor Perry. Ivor went into some detail about this issue, including the politics behind some of the decisions. I certainly learnt a number of things from the evening. Ahead of the talk I investigated the Commonwealth War Graves web site www.cwgc.org and learnt about a number of aspects associated with Burton on the Wolds (16) and Hoton (1) Commonwealth war graves. This web site is well worth a visit.

22^nd Mar saw a trip to the cinema for a number of us. Thank you to Rosemary for organising the event. The film of choice was “Mothers Pride” (A family with a pint to prove). It was a light-hearted feel-good British Comedy set in the west country about a family that had fallen on challenging times but came good in the end. Many well-known British Actors in the film: Martin Clunes, Miles Jupp et al…. It also included an alternative form of Morris Dancing to a Boney M classic record.

24^th Mar saw us having a “Wine and Food of the Americas” event. Credit due to Garner Roberts for organising this event and consulting with Longcliffe re the tasting menus (thanks, Matt!) – as well as cooking the final course himself! It was pleasing that a number of members joined us from the impact groups. The event also attracted a considerable number of guests / friends of Rotary who all enjoyed the event. Again, many thanks to Garner for his work on this.

Garner and Francesca compare notes on a South American wine

I can’t pass on from the wine tasting without sharing this image of our trainee sommelier, Neil, enjoying his job:

The 31^stMarch will see a talk by the Mayor of Charnwood. This will be covered in a later VFTB as we will be in the editorial process on this day.

I’m delighted to report that the Inner Wheel’s Shanty Evening in February raised £1000 for Home Starter Boxes.

A reminder that there is no evening meeting on 7^thApril (Easter Tuesday).

The Coats4Kids team taking a break..

Looking further ahead, here are some of our upcoming Programme highlights ..

The next few weeks will see us preparing for our Annual Plant Sale. Please keep the 11^th to 15^th May free: we’ll need all hands on deck as ever! There is now a volunteer’s page on the wiki. Thank you to all those who are doing a lot of upfront work, running the shop, inputting paper orders, collecting boxes, delivering leaflets etc. We may have gone slightly early this year with publicity and are seeing sales ahead of last year’s at this stage in the process. I’m pleased to say we have had many repeat orders, including a large one from one of our valued supporters of many years from Shepshed. I’d like to thank Ann and Robert Waterfall for allowing us to use Ridgewold Farm on Wymeswold Lane: it will be different from previous locations, but with some flexibility as a club we can make it work.

Please look to support the “Me and My Shadow” event at the arena off Belton Road on Saturday 23^rd May.

For those on Facebook please follow the link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1855o8eQrF/

Maggie has sent us some photos of the performers to whet your appetite:

We do not always see everyone at our meetings; please make contact with Rotarians whom we may not have seen for a while.

Looking ahead to next year..

It will soon be time to renew your membership. Are you thinking of leaving the club? Firstly, please re-consider and talk with officers of the club: you would be missed! However, if circumstances mean that you cannot continue, please advise as soon as possible so that we do not pick up capitation charges from Rotary Central and District 1070.

Thank you to you all for supporting the club in such a positive way. The monies raised to date are incredibly significant: the support we have provided to date for charities is a credit to the club. The varied and interesting programme (ranging from a listed tunnel visit, to a Police Chief, then to Blood Bikes and Morris dancing), the social events etc – continue to be well attended. We do a lot and yet, as Rotarians, we undersell what we do!

Thanks for your support!

President Martin

News from other members..

A red and black logo

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

Michael reports..

As half-term ends and warmer weather hits our area, your Coats4Kids (C4K) team has called time on its work for this winter. We have researched, emailed, telephoned and visited over 60 primary schools across Charnwood and supplied a total of 477 coats to children from 39 local schools. We have lot of people to thank: friends, other members, other clubs, local charities and companies who generously supplied us with the vital funds, and participants in our quiz evening. Come to the concert at the NSC Arena on May 23^rd and help us fund next winter’s work. Thank you!

If you’d like to hear “Me & my Shadow”, Maggie sends the following link..

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1855o8eQrF/

Michael also comments..

As well as surprise visits from Santa Claus, longer-term spin-offs from our schools contacts through the Coats4Kids project have been invitations to read with primary school children.

On the fulfilling side of this is the engagement with eager youngsters, keen to learn from an adult with time to devote to them. The sad part is being told why they need to be read to by a stranger: no-one at home is interested, parents are too busy.. A bed-time story was the norm when we were kids and led on to all the enjoyment that a lifetime of reading has brought. So far, we read at four schools. Would any other members be interested? Contact Michael Charlesworth for details.

Ros reports from LIG..

Living Without Abuse will be holding the Loughborough Colour Run on Sunday 16th August 2026. They need 25 - 30 volunteers to help with the event for it to be able to go ahead. There are various roles between the hours of 7am and 3pm. Volunteers will be needed for a maximum of 5 hours.

LIG have supported Living Without Abuse for many years. Contact Ros Severn for further details.

LOOKING BACK.. our memories this month are of our friend and colleague, John Boyes, who died on 25^th March 2026.

Loughborough Impact Group

Newsletter no. 8 – March 2026

Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter. There are many upcoming events over the course of the next few months, please see below and RC Loughborough Beacon’s programme as detailed in the View from the Beacon newsletter. Volunteers are also needed to support the Disability Games and the Living Without Abuse Colour Run (information at the end of this newsletter).

Firstly, an update on our two main projects: Home Starter Boxes and Coats 4 Kids.

Home Starter Boxes

With the ever-increasing demand for HSB, the team are delighted that the Shanty Evening held at Longcliffe on Friday 20^th February raised £1000. This will ensure that the project continues to support people moving into new accommodation in the local area through providing essential household items. The next session of HSB packing is to be held on Tuesday 10^th March at 3pm.

Coats 4 Kids has ‘wrapped up’ (!) for the season with a total of 477 coats being provided for children in 39 primary schools across Charnwood by RC Loughborough Beacon and the Impact Groups. The Scheme’s commitment to providing a brand new coat has ensured that many children have been warmer this winter and we have received many positive comments from parents and teachers, as well as the children. This is now the third year that Coats 4 Kids has been active in Charnwood resulting in strong links being formed between Rotary and schools in the area.

The lunchtime meeting on the 3^rd February was very well attended by members. The Impact Group is sad to see David and Linda Thompson transfer to RC Bradgate. The time and commitment that David and Linda have given to Rotary in Loughborough is testament to their dedication to supporting others. The enduring friendships that have been made over many years means that many of us will keep in touch with Linda and David - we look forward to seeing them at various events and welcoming them to our future meetings.

A message from RC Shepshed…

“Following our very successful 1940s dance evening. We are holding a music concert on Saturday 28th March 2026 at St Botolph’s Church Hall. Starting at 7.30pm. Very reasonable priced at £10 a ticket. Raffle and bar available.

Pigeon Pie are a Nottinghamshire based four piece band, playing a combination of electric and acoustic guitars. Their range is considerable and covers several genres, styles and periods. They are sure to get your feet tapping with their vocal harmonies and catchy tunes.”

Annual Plant Sale

RC Loughborough Beacon will be holding their annual plant sale which is a great opportunity to purchase your summer plants at a very reasonable price. Follow the link www.beaconrotary.org which will take you to the page where you can browse what’s on offer this year and make your order.

March and April meeting dates:

17^th March: Newton Linford Art Group Exhibition. Meet at Newtown Linford church at 11:15am to see the annual art exhibition featuring our own Dick Howard. Lunch at The Bradgate at 12:30pm. Please sign up as usual for lunch so we can forward numbers to The Bradgate.

7^th April: LIG Lunchtime Meeting at Longcliffe Golf Club. 12 noon for 12:30pm

21^st April: LIG Lunchtime Meeting at Longcliffe Golf Club 12 noon for 12:30pm.

Loughborough Impact Group

Time to get your diaries out!

Volunteers are needed to support The Disability Games and

The Loughborough Colour Run in aid of Living Without Abuse.

If you can help, please contact:

The Disability Games: Chris Trivett (see details on poster)

The Loughborough Colour Run: Emily Wheatley (Emily.W@lwa.org.uk)

Meetings & Venue

Where and when:

We meet on Tuesdays at 19.00 for 19.30

(Loughborough Impact Group meet at the same venue on alternate Tuesdays 12:00 for 12:30 )
Longcliffe Golf Club
Snells Nook Lane
Loughborough
LE11 3YA 01509 216321

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